William Regal and Alexa Bliss were waiting at the Second Precinct when Roman entered with Samoa Joe and Moxley. He shook hands with everyone and coldly smiled. "Remember, no one answers questions without either myself or Ms. Bliss' approval. Answer no questions without either of us present. Oh, I also saw Special District Attorney Adam Cole arriving. If he's not present during questioning, I'm sure he will be observing."
"Then they're going to be asking questions about the Young murder," Mox mused.
"The same detectives, Cena and Styles, are also investigating the Mizanin murder," Regal pointed out.
"Why would they want to ask us questions about that?" Samoa Joe innocently asked.
Regal saw the two detectives approaching. "We're about to find out," he quietly spoke. "On your toes, gentlemen." He turned to face Detectives Cena and Styles. "My clients will be represented by either myself or Ms. Bliss during questioning."
"Of course," John Cena politely answered. "We've set aside three rooms for our needs. If you'll follow us." He allowed Styles to lead the way and carefully watched the reactions from each of those present.
The attorneys looked indignant on their clients' behalf. Reigns, Seanoa, and Moxley looked calm and at ease although Moxley's body language was a little more tense. 'But then he was falsely accused and convicted,' Cena told himself. 'He would be more tense than the others.'
As Styles put each of the three in individual rooms, Cena looked at Regal and Bliss. "We'll be interviewing Mr. Reigns first."
Regal nodded. "I'll be present during his questioning and that of Mr. Seanoa. Ms. Bliss will be present for Mr. Moxley's questioning."
"I'll be with my client," Alexa calmly walked into the interrogation room where Moxley sat and closed the door behind her.
Regal's blue eyes twinkled at the expression on the detectives' faces. "Gentlemen? Shall we proceed?"
Cena waved a hand towards the open door while Styles shut the door to Samoa Joe's room. He missed the quick smirk on the man's face.
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"Mr. Moxley, we'll get you out of here as soon as possible," Alexa smiled as she sat in a chair next to her client. She leaned her briefcase against her chair and winced as she sat back up.
"Bruise still bothering you?" Mox asked.
Alexa shrugged. "Not as much as before." She impishly grinned. "Thank you for the suggestion, though. It's been a big help."
Mox waved his hand. "No problem. You get a new chair?"
Alexa shook her head. "I'll look for one. Right now, I'm sitting on the couch and eating off the coffee table. And hoping neither of those fall apart."
"Maybe you'll find something soon," Mox smiled.
"I'll work it into the budget," Alexa promised with another grin.
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Cena sat down on the opposite side of the table from Roman and Regal. Styles took a seat next to Cena.
"For the record, you are Mr. Roman Reigns?" Cena began.
"I am," Roman nodded.
"You are the employer of one Joe Seanoa and Jon Moxley. Correct?"
"Incorrect."
Cena and Roman stared at each other in silence for a few seconds. Then Cena half-smiled. "My apologies, sir. What is incorrect about that statement?"
"Mr. Seanoa is in my employ. Mr. Moxley is not."
"What exactly does Mr. Seanoa do while in your employ?" Styles asked.
"He assists me in keeping a close eye on my business affairs," Roman calmly answered. His expression didn't change when Styles grunted.
"Gentlemen, my clients are here of their own volition and are free to leave at any time," Regal coldly pointed out. "However, our time here is not open-ended. Please get to the point."
"Since Mr. Moxley isn't in your employ but living in your home, what's your connection with him?" Cena asked.
"We've known each other since middle school." Roman's grey eyes grew cold. "His mother abandoned him when he was a child, and his father was an abusive drunk. Mox was often on the edge of starvation, and no one in authority seemed to give a damn about the bruises he usually wore on his face and body. I began bringing him home with me after school. My mother almost immediately adopted him so he began spending more and more time in our house. One day my father said he'd be living with us permanently. We are brothers, detectives. Born to different parents, but brothers nonetheless." He leaned back in his chair. "I hope that answers your question."
"Which shouldn't have been asked since you asked that very question of Mr. Moxley in my presence," Regal pointed out.
"There's no record of Social Services being involved in Mr. Moxley being placed in your home," Styles pointed out. "Do you have an answer for that?"
Roman shrugged, although anger tinged his voice. "My father had a lot of firm rules. One was that children were not present nor involved in adult conversations. Perhaps you should find out why there was no record of the abuse being reported by school authorities. You might be able to help other abused children by doing so."
Regal put a hand on Roman's arm. "I believe we're done here, gentlemen."
"Just one more question," Cena intervened. "We received a tip on the Crimestoppers' Hotline that Mr. Seanoa and Mr. Moxley had a confrontation with one of our murder victims, Michael Mizanin, last Saturday. Do you know anything about that?"
"No."
"Where were you Saturday night?" Styles asked. "For the record."
Roman slowly smiled. "At the grand opening of the new casino. Quite a few people saw me there. I even spoke with the Mayor."
"And that's it, gentlemen." Regal stood motioning for Roman to follow him. "These questions have been a waste of my client's time. Don't presume to do this again, or I will have to file a complaint." He led Roman to the hallway and spoke quietly. "Go wait in the lobby."
Roman silently nodded and walked out.
Regal then walked to the room where Samoa Joe waited and opened the door. He looked over his shoulder. "Gentlemen? Are you questioning Mr. Seanoa now?"
"We are," Styles grimly spoke.
The detectives followed Regal into the interrogation room, and Styles closed the door behind him.
"For the record, you are Joe Seanoa; and you are employed by Mr. Roman Reigns. Is that correct?" Cena began.
"Yes," Joe answered.
"You're also known as Samoa Joe?"
"My friends call me that," Joe pleasantly nodded.
"What about people who aren't your friends?" Styles asked.
Joe chuckled. "I'm sure anyone who isn't my friend has a more derogatory name for me than Samoa Joe. You'd have to ask those who aren't my friends."
"And what are your job duties for Mr. Reigns?" Cena asked.
"I help keep an eye on his business interests," Joe answered.
Styles snorted.
"Was that a question, detective?" Regal demanded.
"Just clearing my throat," Styles smiled.
"In keeping an eye on those business interests, or in any other way, did you know Michael Mizanin?" Cena asked.
"The guy who was murdered?" Joe shook his head. "It's possible I met him at some point in passing. I meet a lot of people."
"Where were you last Saturday night?" Styles asked.
Joe pursed his lips in thought. "Moxley and I spent some time at Lin Sane's Sports Center. Ms. Sane is a good friend of mine, and she had the absolute best hot dogs. I highly recommend them even if she doesn't have a good opinion of cole slaw." He smiled at the detectives' expressions. "Moxley wanted to know where he could get a good hot dog. So, I took him there. After eating and chatting with Ms. Sane, we spent some time in the batting cages and played some games. Then we drove around for a while. I think we probably went through Moxley's old neighborhood, in the east side. Then we returned home."
"We received a tip on the Crimestoppers' Hotline that you and Mr. Moxley had a confrontation with Mr. Mizanin at Rollins' Bookstore on Saturday night. You're saying that didn't happen?" Cena asked.
"Didn't happen," Joe confirmed. "I don't even know where this bookstore is. And Moxley and I were together Saturday night from the time we left to go to Sane's Sports Center until we returned home."
"And you've never met Seth Rollins?"
Joe shook his head. "As I said, I meet a lot of people. But as far as I know, I've never met him."
"Ever go to a place called Truthful Eats?"
"Never heard of the place."
"Where were you between the hours of 9pm Monday night and 3am Tuesday morning?"
"After dinner, I went to the gym in Mr. Reigns' basement. I spent several hours working out, mostly on the heavy bag and with some weights," Joe recalled. "Some of the other employees were in and out although I can't tell you who they were. I was concentrating on my own workout. Then I showered and went to bed."
"Alone?" Styles snarked.
"Detective!" Regal protested.
Joe comfortably smiled. "Regretfully, yes. But I had a very pleasant dream."
"And now we're done," Regal firmly spoke, getting to his feet. "If you have any further questions, detectives, call my office."
Joe pleasantly nodded to the detectives and followed Regal out of the room.
The two detectives stared at each other for a moment, then stood as well. As they walked into the hallway, they saw Joe and Regal leaving. Then they opened the door to where Mox and Alexa were waiting.
"My apologies for the wait," Cena said as he entered. "We were questioning Mr. Reigns and Mr. Seanoa."
'And neither of you look like you enjoyed that,' Mox thought.
"Why is my client here?" Alexa demanded.
The two detectives exchanged a quick look, then Styles answered, "We received a tip on the Crimestoppers' Hotline that places you in Rollins' Bookstore on Saturday night in a confrontation with our murder victim, Michael Mizanin."
"I wasn't there," Mox answered.
"You weren't?" Styles pushed.
"Nope." Mox popped the 'p'. "At least not on Saturday night. Last time I was in that bookstore was my senior year of high school when I was working my ass off to pass World History so I could graduate."
"Do you know Seth Rollins?" Cena asked.
Mox scratched his chin. "I think that was the name of old man Rollins' nephew. Might have sorta known him in high school."
"What about Mizanin?" Styles asked.
"Oh, yeah, I remember Mizanin from high school," Mox snorted. "Called himself 'The Miz' for some stupid reason. Walked around like he owned the school and was a general pain in the ass."
"Was he a pain in the ass when you confronted him last Saturday night?" Styles asked.
"I told you, I wasn't there," Mox repeated.
"My client already answered that question, detective," Alexa snapped. "Don't waste our time."
Mox smirked as both detectives studied Alexa more closely. They were realizing that inside that petite blonde-haired blue-eyed body was a shrewd attorney who wasn't taking any prisoners.
"Our apologies," Cena offered. "Mr. Moxley, where were you Saturday night?"
"Joe Seanoa took me to this place to get a good hot dog," Mox explained. "I hadn't had one since I went to prison."
"Falsely accused and convicted," Alexa added.
"Place was Sane's Sports Center," Mox continued with a slight grin. "He and the owner seem to be good friends. And he was right about the hot dog. After eating, we spent some time playing games, hitting the batting cages, stuff like that. Then we drove around. I wanted to see how the city'd changed since I'd been away. Then we went home."
"Didn't go near Rollins' bookstore?" Styles asked.
Mox shrugged. "Maybe in that general area. Didn't go past it, though."
"Where were you between the hours of 9pm Monday and 3am Tuesday?" Cena asked.
"Home. Working on my new motorcycle and then to bed."
"Any witnesses?" Styles sourly asked.
"Roman was helping me with the bike," Mox answered.
"Ever go to a place called Truthful Eats?" Cena asked.
"No. Never heard of it."
Cena leaned forward. "Cards on the table, Mr. Moxley. We know you were falsely accused and framed for the murder of Renee Young. The evidence proves that former Detective Jack Swagger and former CSI Agent Zebulon Colter did the framing. What we don't know is why. Now we have a tip stating you and Mr. Seanoa had a confrontation with another murder victim, Michael Mizanin, about 48 hours prior to his murder. On the surface, there's nothing to connect these murders except you."
"Is that an accusation, detective?" Alexa demanded.
"No, Ms. Bliss. It's an observation," Cena calmly answered, his eyes never leaving Mox's. "What should be a concern to Mr. Moxley is how all this could affect Mr. Reigns." He saw Mox's blue eyes darken. "From what we can tell and from what you've told us, Mr. Reigns is your brother and someone who feels the same about you. It would be a shame to drag him down as well. So, if you have anything…anything at all to tell us about either of these murders, now is the time to do so."
"My client…" Alexa began.
"I've told you everything I know, and it's all the truth." Mox angrily spit out the words. "Leave Roman out of this."
"He's making himself involved," Cena pointed out. "For your sake. Don't make him regret that."
"ENOUGH!" Alexa stood, slapping her hands on the table. "You've crossed the line, Detective Cena. We're done here. Don't ever attempt to question my client without either myself or Mr. Regal being present. Is that understood?"
Styles' eyes widened in surprise at her fury.
"No lines were crossed, Ms. Bliss," Cena pointed out, still staring at Moxley.
"Not legally and perhaps not even ethically although I could make a good argument that you stomped all over that line," Alexa retorted as she grabbed her briefcase. "But we both know what you were threatening. We're leaving."
Mox got to his feet and followed Alexa to the door.
"Mr. Moxley?"
Mox halted at the sound of Styles' voice. He partially turned his head and waited.
"Keep yourself available. We may have further questions."
Mox said nothing but followed Alexa out of the room.
Styles glanced over at his partner with a grin. "She's a little spitfire, isn't she?"
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Mox ignored Alexa's furious mutterings as they took the elevator down to the lobby.
'Mr. Reigns is your brother and someone who feels the same about you. It would be a shame to drag him down as well.'
Silently, Mox followed Alexa across the lobby to where the others waited.
'He's making himself involved. For your sake. Don't make him regret that.'
Mox stared at Roman who was intently listening to both Regal and Alexa.
'Don't make him regret that.'
Mox clenched his back teeth. His instincts were telling him to go back upstairs and knock Cena's teeth down his throat.
'Don't make him regret that.'
Mox forced himself to take a deep breath. Assaulting a police detective wouldn't help either himself or protect Roman. And protecting Roman was his first priority.
As he silently followed Roman and Joe to their car, Mox considered various options. They were halfway back to Roman's compound when he silently admitted there was only one option open to him. He felt a sharp pang of disappointment but ruthlessly suppressed it. What he'd planned for his future wasn't anywhere near as important as protecting Roman.
And that was the bottom line.